Opening statements: Just way too many missed opportunities. Defense did a good job with turnovers, but could only get field goal attempts. Had field position and didn’t take advantage of it. Too many big plays given up on defense. Couldn’t stop the run. Some positives: Three running backs did well. Ty Chandler had 120 yards plus an 80-yard run called back. Jarrett Guarantano continues to improve. Trey Smith is one of our best players. Great consistency, intensity, energy. Re: Southern Miss: very talented, veteran group. Disruptive. Good against the run. 27th in total defense and 12th in TFLs. Play two… Read more »

Q: Sacks on Saturday night?
A: Seven sacks, you think the OL is a problem. JG needs to throw it away and understand field position. Get rid of it quicker. Missed assignment. Wasn’t just OL. Each was different. Sometimes rhythm throw wasn’t there. Don’t take negative plays.

Q: Unsportsmanlike penalty. Rare. What explanation did you get?
A: Very rare. Maybe only once in the SEC. But they wanted to make sure everything was under control. We talked to the players. Now, you’re one and done. It took two of our best players later on, but it affected both teams. That’s very, very rare.

Q: Follow up. [something about whether things were chippy]
A: It was a hard fought contest. [with a faint smile]

Q: First season you’ve regressed in win total. How are you dealing with that?
A: Disappointed, but not discouraged. Understand expectations of UT football. Four games came down to final play of the game. Things don’t go according to plan. Football is life sped up faster. Have to go about your business and be better for it and learn from it. Keep doing things in the right manner. In terms of family, a lot of people have been supportive. We have a lot of great friends here. I understand everyone being upset; if I was a fan, I’d be upset, too.

Q: John Kelly? When did QD’s shoulder injury occur?
A: JK and Will Ignont will be back at practice. Whether they’re back for the game will depend. QD’s injury has been ongoing for some time. Felt surgery was needed. We’ll be there for him.

Q: What has Currie’s message to him been? His message to recruits?
A: Message has stayed the same. This is where your character is tested. You find out about yourself. Our recruits understand. They understand our relationships. Re Currie. We talk every day. He’s a great person to work for.

Q: More success against bear front. Why?
A: Offensive coaches did a good job. It’s a challenging front. They’ve been very good. We ran off the ball well. Sustained blocks. RBs got yards after contact. Combination. JG made a few plays iwth his legs as well. Some was scheme against bear front.

Q: Effective on OL?
A: Tatum is day to day; right now doubtful. Depth is very limited there. Kids understand and continue to work. Did a good job of sustaining blocks initially. Need to do a better job at end of games. Players are battling.

Q: [Can’t hear this long question from Brent, I think.]
A: They were reminded at every change of possession. Both personal foul penalties; we’ve looked at them. Suspensions: by rule, doesn’t carry over. [Question must have been about the two players ejected for their second personal fouls.]

I’m afraid that, especially with rumors floating around about Jon Gruden getting $10mil/year to coach at Tennessee, and the seeming chokehold that both our athletic department and coach have on releasing any information that our fanbase is going to simply get more and more pissed off the longer Jones continues to roam the sideline. I understand that firing him midseason might not be the most productive action in terms of getting positive results in terms of winning football games… but the athletic department needs to realize that there is a finite amount of goodwill towards the department and that now… Read more »

Joel, do you happen to know a source or story for the numbers we’ve spent in the form of buyouts for coaches we’ve been paying not to coach us after firing them? Or the revenue increase at Alabama from 2005ish/pre-Saban to 2017? Someone needs to impress upon this Athletic Department and University the age old adage that you have to spend money to make money. And that the cost of buyouts for mediocre coaches along with lost potential revenue from having a successful program makes it worthwhile to spend the money up front rather than slowly crap it all away… Read more »

I will never understand why any team would hire Ed Orgeron to be their head guy.

Being a head coach is basically a glorified management position… the job is all about intelligence, handling your responsibilities and dealing with the personal/human aspect of dealing with kids/administrators/media/fans/etc.

The best head coaches are almost invariably the smartest guys in the room… but Oregon is kind of a braying jackass.

No, I’ve not seen those numbers. I did just watch an interesting segment on John Pennington’s Sports Source show from yesterday, though. The point he was making was that if you’re thinking, “Just spend the money, and it will come back in wins and more money,” you’d be right — but only with respect to Alabama and Nick Saban. Others haven’t worked out so well. I don’t remember the number, but it was something striking about most coaches being paid over $4M right now currently sitting at 7-5 or worse. Harbaugh’s a good counter-example to Saban. I don’t know the… Read more »